The Apology
by Trixie Black Lestrange
Summary: Nymphadora is taken to Malfoy Manor. How will the Black sisters react to her, and what will they say to each other?
Nymphadora stumbled between Dolohov and another Death Eater, the two of them thrilled with their capture. She had been following up on a lead from the Order when she been trapped by the two, baited into capture. Moody would be furious that Dumbledore hadn't sent out a team, only Nymphadora, and she almost smiled at the thought of her mentor shouting at Dumbledore.

One of the men gave her a little shake, and she tripped, realising that he had tripped her on purpose when he and his companion roared with laughter. She felt a hand where it shouldn't have been and kicked out, the second Death Eater swearing as Dolohov laughed at him, putting his wand to the girl's neck. "Too much woman for him," he chuckled. "Not for me, I think."

She rolled her eyes at him, being dragged along roughly by her arm. They were rejoined by the other Death Eater a few seconds later, and she saw that it was one of the oversized Death Eaters, namely Crabbe or Goyle. To her, most oversized Death Eaters looked the same in their black robes and mask. Not that he was wearing a mask now, leering at her.

They reached the end of the alley and Dolohov's voice sounded close to her ear. "Time to get cozy, Nymphie."

She felt his body press against hers from the back, his arms around her, and then she felt the unmistakable sensation of apparition, leaving the alley. She was struggling when they landed, both of them ending up on the ground, his wand tip firmly jabbed into her stomach. "Oh, but you would want to see this," he said softly, and immediately, her sight returned.

Nymphadora blinked in the bright sunlight, momentarily freezing in place as she took in the gravel walk, the hedges on either side. "Know where you are?" he smirked, laughing when she shivered at the feeling of his breath on her neck.

"Hell," she said with a sigh. "I'm going to hell."

"Yes," he laughed softly, "and I'm going to take you there."

She struggled, and felt him bite her neck harshly. She gasped, realising that the only way to escape him would be to announce her presence to everyone in the Manor ahead: Malfoy Manor. "What do you think you are? A werewolf?" she demanded of him, managing to get one wrist free. Magic gathered in her arms, and she wrapped her fingers around his thigh, releasing her curse.

The man's grip went slack, and she waited, then rolled away from him as his whimpers escalated into terrified screams. The other Death Eater hauled her to her feet with a meaty hand and slapped her across the face. "What did you do?" he demanded.

"Curse of the Bogeys," she said thickly through the taste of blood in her mouth. "Poor little prisoner of Azkaban."

A _Crucio_ ripped through her body, but she did not scream, the Curse lifting only when he dragged her up the walk toward the gates. She watched the gates as her captor allowed the outer wards to scan his Dark Mark, then proceeded on. Nymphadora bit her lip slightly, trying to keep the blood from her cuts from running down her neck onto her robes, but she couldn't. She caught her breath as she felt the wards scan her magic, accusing and angry as it allowed her through. Someone was not happy about who had just walked through the wards.

When they came to the actual doors of the Mansion, the Death Eater set off the chimes in the Manor, and seconds later, as if they knew someone would be there, the visor on the door was lifted, and a blonde young man looked out at them nervously. "Business?"

"Of course, brat," growled the Death Eater. "Wouldn't be here to take tea with your mother, now would I?"

"I mean, state your business," Draco replied evenly, seeming more collected now that someone had insulted his mother.

Nymphadora opened her eyes and looked straight into Draco's face as she was forced to look up, the Death Eater pulling her hair. "I'm the business," she said. "Sorry—"

She received another slap, and the Death Eater snarled, "I didn't say you could speak! Boy—" but Draco was gone from the door. "Stupid boy," spat the Death Eater.

Not less than a minute later, hurried footsteps sounded inside the Manor, and Nymphadora stood as tall as she could and still make herself look small and unimportant. The doors were flung open, and Draco stood there, his pureblood mask back in place as he said quietly, "You are to take her directly to the Dark Lord. He is in the dining hall."

"Took long enough, Malfoy," the Death Eater growled at him, then swept past the boy, dragging Nymphadora with him.

She tried not to stumble and walked quickly to keep up without be dragged in an undignified way. Dora wasn't sure what was going to happen, but she was very sorry that she was at Malfoy Manor. The look on Draco's face when he'd seen her was quite enough to convince her that the poor boy didn't want to hate and hurt like most of those around him, and she wished she wasn't causing more trouble for the Malfoys.

Her mother's younger sister was standing just outside the door to the dining room when Dora and the Death Eater walked up together. She saw Narcissa's eyes widen, then narrow in disdain, the blonde witch doing the same once-over of her that she'd seen purebloods do to "filth."

The door burst open, and the Death Eater motioned her to walk before him. Nymphadora sighed and walked before him into the room full of Death Eaters. Various hisses and boos escaped some of the men in the room, but Bellatrix looked away from her Dark Lord to the prisoner and began to laugh raucously. Narcissa and Draco slipped into the room to Nymphadora's right, both watching the Dark Lord intently.

"Well, what do we have here," the Dark Lord said, seeming slightly amused. "A relation of yours, Bella? Narcissa?"

Bella opened her mouth furiously, her eyes burning madly as her magic crackled. "Never, my Lord," she hissed. "She is no relation to Cissy and me!"

The Dark Lord looked straight at Nymphadora, and she took a breath, then turned to Narcissa. "I'm not here of my own will and I apologize for my intrusion." She turned straight back to the Dark Lord and said, "No relation." A slight smile crossed her lips as her hair fell in front of her shoulders and she realised that her hair was black with red ends.

"You were not alone," the Dark Lord addressed the Death Eater with his wand still focused on Nymphadora.

"She...did something to him," the man said.

Nymphadora started giggling, and Voldemort turned to her, raising an eyebrow. "Come, take a seat, Nymphadora," he invited her. "Tell us what you did to one of my faithful Death Eaters."

She walked down the length of the table and sat on the left hand of the Dark Lord, across from Bellatrix. "Unless he got help, Dolohov's lying out on the walk caterwauling because I put the Curse of the Bogeys on him. So he's here, just not with us."

"Do you have her wand?" the Dark Lord asked the man who had brought her in.

"Yes—" began the man, but Nymphadora interrupted.

"No," she said in a "duh" voice. "Dolohov has my wand. He snitched it off you before he disapparated, do it's out on the walk somewhere."

The Dark Lord chuckled, then said, "Bellatrix...take her to the dungeons—Selwyn, fetch Dolohov and make sure to bring us Nymphadora's wand."

Bellatrix was immediately around the table, wrenching the black- and red-haired girl from the chair. As Dora was marched from the room, she looked back at them all around the table, and supposed she looked pathetic with bloodstains on her face. Nymphadora smirked, then turned back toward Bellatrix and kept pace with her as she was taken to the dungeons.

"I'll be back," Bellatrix said coldly. "I will do whatever I wish to you, Nymphadora."

"Send whatever's left back to Mum," Nymphadora agreed.

A _Crucio_ ripped through her body for the second time that day, and she gritted her teeth against the pain. "Goodbye, Nymphie," Bellatrix giggled, and gave her a push down the dungeon steps.


End file.
